When it comes to the portrayal of Asian-Americans in the media, visibility is not always positive or enriching to our community. At the risk of sounding like a broken record: I, being a male of Asian descent, am tired of being portrayed as the forever social outsider who will never be part of the crowd. Society tells me that what I lack in testosterone, I supposedly make up in intelligence. Or something.
Whatever.
Continue reading “The Problem With Racial Humor and Representation”
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Alex Dang is an aspiring poet who wowed us all with his performance of “What Kind of Asian Are You?” for the Portland Poetry Slam at the 2013 National Poetry Slam.
A strong voice full of passion and emotions, Alex delivered a powerful piece of poetry about Asian American stereotypes and the undying questions that are asked over and over to many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, questions like “What kind of Asian are you?” and my favorite, “Where are you REALLY from?”
Alex dissects the root of the question, starting out with sarcasm linking everything Asian to himself, because obviously everything Asian has to be connected in some way.
Continue reading “Alex Dang on “What Kind of Asian Are You?””